A mother who allegedly poisoned her infant daughter with salt showed little emotion while paramedics fought to save her life, a court has heard.

Last week Cornwall Live reported that the mother, aged in her 20s, had gone on trial accused of deliberately poisoning her toddler by administering her with between 21 and 24 grams of salt on April 26, 2016.

The woman, from the St Austell area, cannot be named under a court order imposed to protect the identity of her then-19-month-old daughter.

She went on trial at Truro Crown Court accused of unlawfully and maliciously administering salt to endanger the life of, or inflict grievous bodily harm to, her daughter, a charge she denies.

The defendant took to the witness stand today (March 5) and denied the prosecution’s claims that she deliberately gave her daughter high volumes of salt.

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When asked why she showed an apparent lack of empathy while paramedics fought to save her life, the defendant said she was “taking the information in”.

“I was sitting and watching,” she said. “I used to work with children with learning difficulties and we are taught to be calm and let things happen.

“I thought I was being calm, looking back I was in shock. I didn’t realise quite how poorly she was in that moment.”

The court heard that the mother had conducted a Google search on her phone hours before her daughter’s hospitalisation about what the appropriate amount of salt for an 18-month child was.

The defendant said she did this in reaction to her daughter’s pale lips and because her nephew had an allergy to salt.

During cross examination of the defendant, prosecuting barrister Peter Coombe focused on why she failed to mention to medical staff her prior concerns over salt, even after doctors had told her that salt was the reason she was ill.

The defendant said she “completely forgot” about the search and her concerns and that she had other things on her mind.

“We were in a very stressful situation and I completely forgot about it,” she said.

Mr Coombe then asked why the defendant did not call 999 herself.

“I knew she was ill, but I did not realise how ill she was,” she said.

“I was the one who wanted to call 111. I was going to do it. I said 'I need to clean her up', so my mum offered to call 111.”

Mr Coombe read a series of messages to the jury between the defendant and her friends. In the messages, the defendant appeared to be frustrated that her daughter was vomiting and not eating or drinking.

“It’s a joke,” one of the messages said.

“I’m so annoyed that this is still happening,” she wrote in another message.

The defendant denied that was sleep-deprived, short-tempered and complaining about her daughter.

Earlier in the trial Royal Cornwall Hospital nurse Joanna Philp said that, during the recovery period after the alleged poisoning, she saw the child turn away and refuse food from her mother and then start feeding herself from the tray.

The defendant said this was because the food she was holding wasn't as interesting to her daughter as what was on the tray.

“There never were any issues with me, [the child] and food," she said.